


Consummation

by thedailygrind



Series: Love, Honor and Duty [2]
Category: Figure Skating RPF
Genre: Arranged Marriage, Harlequin, M/M, Modern Royalty, Romance, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-01-02
Updated: 2020-05-25
Packaged: 2021-02-27 07:01:48
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 7,169
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22083055
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thedailygrind/pseuds/thedailygrind
Summary: Yuzuru has some misunderstandings about how consummation works. Javier is in no hurry to correct him.
Relationships: Javier Fernández/Yuzuru Hanyu
Series: Love, Honor and Duty [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1589521
Comments: 53
Kudos: 201





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events, locales, and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The hardest part of every marriage is the first night.

They meet formally in the drawing room. Yuzuru silent and demure, his face hidden behind a dainty fan, and Javier dressed to the nines in a Spanish colonial uniform.

The press conference goes as expected. Through his translator, Javier speaks earnestly of the importance of a union after a disaster, and the help, both fiscal and nonmaterial Spain is pledging to rebuild Sendai.

As he speaks of Spain’s regard for Japan, of its abundant nature, its rich culture, its beautiful people, his eyes linger on Yuzuru and his meaning clear.

“Beautiful,” Javier says quietly, as if the thought is meant for him alone, “within and without.”

Flustered, Yuzuru blushes and lowers his eyes.

In front of the cameras, they exchange cups of watered down cider in lieu of wine.

“Because,” an official murmurs, eyes sparkling with amusement, “Hanyu-sama is allergic.”

And then Javi pours the gold coins into Yuzuru’s hand, trying not to smile as he gazes at the ancient designs etched onto those coins, all the way from the first Spanish monarchy.

When the coins clatter to the ground, Yuzuru’s eyes follow, almost as if he wishes he could pick them up again. 

It’s adorable, Javier thinks.

What’s less adorable is the way Yuzuru’s hands tremble in his own, when he slips the plain gold ring onto his finger.

The cameras flash, the officials congratulate them, but all Javier can think about is the way Yuzuru stiffens against his touch. 

Arranged or not, this isn’t an auspicious way for a marriage to start.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Yuzu,” Javi says quietly, a moment later, “what do you mean by consummate?”
> 
> Yuzu blinks owlishly, a brilliant pink flush spreading across his cheeks.

The bridal headdress is ornate and heavy. Gingerly, Yuzuru shifts, trying to alleviate the ache in his neck without creasing the elaborate kimono. Specks of candlelight reflect garishly off the brilliant silk, casting the room in a suffocating red glow. For the twentieth time today, Yuzuru wonders if it’s not too late to run away. 

He wants to. Except there's a foreign weight around his finger; a solemn reminder of the vow he’d made to his nation, an obligation he is duty-bound to fulfill.

Yuzuru twists his fingers in his lap, desperately trying not to think about what comes next.

It’s dark by the time Javier enters the bridal chamber, any alcohol he'd drunk before doing little to assuage his nerves. They’d met before once, a brief encounter in the garden, and the memory fills Javier with a warm fondness, for the boy so enamored with his cat. Still, the thought of building a life together with a boy he barely knows, leaves him at a loss .

Yuzuru waits for him on the bed, his posture ramrod straight, his hands clasped rigidly in his lap. He’s so still, he could be a statue.

“Yuzuru,” Javier says, just to break the silence.

Yuzuru turns to look at him, all dark almond eyes, and skin pale as moonlight.

He inclines his head in polite acknowledgement, the movement drawing Javi’s eyes to the long elegant arch of his neck.

“Fernandez-sama," he returns evenly.

He’s afraid. Javier sees it clear as day, and unthinkingly moves to his side to offer comfort, a habit long ingrained from growing up in a tactile family. 

“You don’t have to be afraid,” he says, noting the way Yuzuru flinches minutely away from their closeness, ugly half-crescent moon marks scored into his palms.

“I am not afraid,” Yuzuru replies stiff and rehearsed. “Your pledge is of great honor to Sendai. It is my honor—”

Mid-word, Yuzuru’s voice trembles and breaks. 

He clears his throat quietly and tries again. “It is my honor to serve you, your highness.”

“There are so many things wrong with that I don’t even know where to begin,” Javier sighs, “for starters, let’s drop the honorifics. We’re married now, so just call me Javi, all right?”

“Javi,” Yuzuru parrots obediently.

“What would you like me to call you?”

“Yuzuru,” Yuzuru says, quickly, and then staring down at his clenched fingers, quieter, amends, “or maybe Yuzu. It is what my mom calls me.”

“Yuzu,” Javi says, testing the word on his tongue, and Yuzuru glances up at him from under a thick smudge of eyelashes, a hint of a smile on his lips.

He’s beautiful, Javi thinks watching the way Yuzuru’s eyes crinkle slightly, accentuating the fine bones of his cheeks, the soft candlelight making him look precious and delicate, like a porcelain doll.

The silence stretches and then Yuzuru must misread something in Javi's gaze because a brief look of panic flashes across his features before he begins to undress, his movements quick and mechanical.

“Yuzu!” Javi says, gently catching his wrist to stop him before he goes any further, "what are you--"

"We are married now," Yuzuru looks back at him, eyes wide and insistent. "We must consummate ceremony."

Javier glances down to where  Yuzuru’s wrists are trembling in his loose grip, to the fear and trepidation in his dark eyes. 

He sighs, and gently releases Yuzuru. 

“But you don't want to."

“Yes,” Yuzuru says, quiet but matter-of-fact, “but not important what I want. It is duty.”

Javi’s chest clenches at the helpless, determination on his face.

“Yuzu,” Javi begins gently cupping his chin, “you don’t ever have to do something because someone else tells you to. Not if you don’t want to.”

“Javi," Yuzuru says quietly, "something you must learn something about Japanese culture. For nation, there is no big enough sacrifice. It is my honor.”

Javi shakes his head, “this isn’t really how I —“

“Please,” Yuzuru breathes, “let me.”

He holds Javi’s gaze, clumsily reaching to loosen his obi, the kimono slipping down his smooth skin and pooling low off his shoulder, “I can learn.”

He doesn't want this, Javi thinks when he stops Yuzuru midway because the sight is so wrong, when the boy is clearly terrified, and Javi cannot let this go any further, misplaced ideas of honor or not.

“Oh querido,” Javi says, surprising himself when the endearment slips out,“I can’t. Not like this.”

He tucks the kimono back into place, pulling the heavy fabric to cover Yuzuru’s lithe frame. “I’ll take the floor and we can talk about this tomorrow—“

"No!" Yuzuru grabs urgently at Javi’s wrist, "Javi, we must!"

Javi sighs, watching the boy, who looks so panicked and lost, who is asking for all sorts of things that he can’t possibly want. It’s not fair, he thinks, that they ended up here like this, forced together by a series of unfortunate events. It shouldn’t have to be this way, for either of them.

It doesn't have to be.

“Yuzu,” Javi says, a moment later, “what exactly do you mean by consummate?”

Yuzu blinks, a brilliant pink flush spreading across his cheeks.

“It mean…. It mean—“ he stutters. 

He looks around helplessly, lifting his hands and then letting them fall again as he struggles to find the words, “it mean take clothes off!”

Javi can’t help but smile watching Yuzuru’s careful composure slowly crumble.

“And then?” 

“And then,” Yuzuru gestures vaguely between the two of them, his voice trailing off, “and then…”

He scowls, his obedient expression finally giving way to a lovely frown. “And then you _know_.”

“Maybe I don’t.” Javi teases, because watching Yuzuru tongue-tied, and flustered, trying to force himself to explain an adult concept like _consummation_ is just too adorable. “This is my first marriage after all.”

“You are so bad,” Yuzu complains, pouting. “You _know._ So why make me say?”

"I just want to do it right."

Yuzuru sighs long sufferingly, “Not teach you in Spain?”

“Spain consummation laws might be different." Javi says with an easy shrug. “I want to do it the Japanese way.”

Backed into a corner, Yuzuru can only bury his face in his hands petulantly.

“ _Hazukashii_ ,” he whines.

Javi gently pries his hands away with an affectionate laugh as he gazes down at Yuzuru’s flushed cheeks, “we are already married, there’s nothing to be ashamed of. So let me get this straight, we take our clothes off, and then—“

They’re standing in front of one another by the bridal bed. The candlelight reflects in Javier’s eyes, turning them honey-gold. The kindest eyes in the world, Yuzuru thinks, a warm feeling settling in his stomach.

“Go on,” Javi prompts, “you wanted to.”

And so Yuzuru lifts his hands, his fingers trembling as they run across Javi’s coat, smoothing his palms over the suede lapels, down the crest of the royal family embroidered down his chest. Beneath the sturdy fabric he feels the strength of Javi’s body, firm and dependable. The shoulders of someone who could protect a nation.

Javi is watching him, amusement twinkling in those soulful eyes and Yuzu doesn’t remember why his mother had looked so nervous, telling him he needed to relax, telling him that he had to be prepared and that it would hurt. 

He doesn’t think Javi could ever hurt him. Not with the soft smile playing on his lips, the way his large hands rest on Yuzu’s hip, anchoring him to Earth.

“Consummate any moment now,” Javi teases, and Yuzu huffs, fumbling with the buttons, and then sliding the uniform off his shoulders until he’s confronted with Javi’s bronzed skin, the toned hardness of his chest. 

Flushing, Yuzu drops his hands like Javi’s skin burns him.

“Remember,” Javi squeezes Yuzuru’s wrist gently, a small gesture of comfort. “We don’t have to do anything you don’t want to.”

"I want to," Yuzuru says too quickly, then ducks his head, unable to meet Javi's gaze.

He truly is lovely, Javi thinks, taking it all in, he runs his hands through Yuzu’s ink black hair, the pads of his finger tips warm on Yuzuru’s scalp. Yuzu shudders a little, as Javi’s hands gently untangle the peony weaved through those silky strands, his touch light and ephemeral.

“Okay?”

Yuzu nods, and without realizing it, finds himself leaning into Javi’s touch.

Javier runs his hands over the exquisitely embroidered kimono, the red silk a beautiful contrast against Yuzuru’s pale skin. And Yuzuru feels the scorching heat of his palm burn through the many layers of fabric as Javi’s hands slide down the nape of his neck, down his shoulder, finally resting at the curve of his waist.

He swallows hard, looking into Javi’s eyes, seeing the amusement evaporate, replaced by a deeper intensity that makes Yuzuru’s cheeks heat.

“Can I?” Javi's voice is rougher, lower.

Yuzuru nods again, not trusting his voice, and with a soft tug, his obi falls apart, the kimono unraveling, pooling onto the ground in a stunning silky mess.

Without the outer layer, the cold air hits his skin making Yuzuru gasp, and he opens his eyes to look into Javier’s, gentle and kind but with the dark promise of something else. 

He’s watching Yuzuru, his dark eyes tracing every curve of Yuzu’s body, barely concealed under the thin white nagajuban. His gaze lingers on Yuzuru’s waist, before he smiles, catching Yuzuru’s eyes once more.

“You’re beautiful,” he says, simply.

And Yuzuru can do nothing more than nod, transfixed by the hypnotic sound of his voice, by the tanned beauty of Javier’s skin. His heart skips a beat at the realization that they are now unclothed, exposed and standing in front of one another. 

“Yuzu,” Javier murmurs, closing the distance between them. He leans his forehead against Yuzuru’s and this close, he can feel the stutter of Javier’s heart tattooing a steady rhythm against his chest.

“Querido, let me take you to bed.”


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “We did it,” he murmurs, voice low in Yuzuru’s ear, and feels the tension melt out of Yuzuru’s body, almost instantaneously.
> 
> “We did?” Yuzuru echoes, awed.
> 
> “See?” He says, triumphantly stroking the back of Javier’s hand as if he was the one who needed comforting, “see it was not bad.”
> 
> Javier hides a smile, interlacing their fingers, “no, not so bad after all.”

The bed is large enough to accommodate two comfortably, but now that they’re undressed, Javi just in a pair of light pants and Yuzuru in a white _era_ thats so thin it might as well be translucent, Javi finds it difficult to stay away,

Javi is leaning over him, his hands framing Yuzuru’s face and Yuzuru is looking back, breath warm against Javi’s mouth and all he can think about is how beautiful Yuzuru looks, ink dark hair against pale skin, the way his dimples peek out when he smiles, which he has more than a few times this evening.

Javi wants to do something not very honorable at all.

His fingers graze Yuzuru’s cheek, and Yuzuru's eyelashes flutter, like he’s waking up from a dream.

“Javi?” He murmurs, wondrous, turning his sleep drunk gaze on him.

“I want to kiss you,” Javi says, his thumb sweeping across Yuzuru’s bottom lip, "let me?"

Yuzuru hesitates, his lips parting then closing without a sound.

“Yes,” he says, robotically, “of course.”

His eyes dart between the two of them anxiously, his body tensed like a coiled spring, ready to unleash. Javi simply pulls them closer, aligning them so their noses brush, his breath warming Yuzu’s lips.

Yuzuru goes still under him, his heartbeat quick like the beating of hummingbirds' wings, Javi feels the rapid flutter of it under his thumb when he cups Yuzu’s jaw, fingers resting on his pulse.

He leans in, softly, sweetly.

Yuzuru’s eyes flutter shut, his breathing ragged.

Javi brushes a chaste kiss against the apple of his cheek, his mouth lingering over the soft, smooth skin.

Yuzuru’s fists clench in the bedsheets, his knuckles white as Javi reaches down to smooth the frown lines from his forehead.

“We did it,” he murmurs, voice low in Yuzuru’s ear.

“We did?” Yuzuru echoes, awed. He blinks, as if taking it in, and then breaks out into the most beautiful smile Javi has ever seen.

“See?” Yuzu says triumphantly, stroking the back of Javier’s hand as if he were the one who had been terrified, and needed comforting, “see it was not bad.”

Javi has to hide a smile. He interlaces their fingers. “No, not so bad after all.”

“Consummate again,” Yuzuru demands, childishly, tugging Javier close, “for Sendai.”

“Yuzu,” Yumi says, rushing to grab his hand when he finally emerges, sleep-mussed from the bridal bedchamber at half noon the next day. “How are you feeling? Are you all right?”

When Yuzuru doesn’t respond immediately, she cannot help but assume the worst, and she cups his face, turning him around, searching his body for bruises she doesn't want to find.

There aren't any, so she grips his shoulders, forcing him to look at her. “Tell me everything. Did he hurt you?"

Yuzuru blushes, dropping his gaze to the ground.

“Okaasan," he whines, glancing around to see if anyone's eavesdropping. "We shouldn't talk about this."

“There are no secrets between a parent and child,” she insists. It had been Yuzuru's choice to enter into the treaty, and she, against her better judgment, had respected his decision. But if there was a chance, any chance at all that Yuzuru was being _hurt,_ Yumi would not stand idly by and watch it happen. "Tell me what happened."

“It was..." Yuzuru stammers and then stops, his lips forming and abandoning words. Yumi's heart almost stops in her chest, but then she sees the complete lack of fear on Yuzuru's face. How he's shy, and proud, and more than a little blissful. 

"Javi is very... kind," Yuzu says, finally, and the memory of his husband, and what they'd done the night before makes his face turn beet red. "Okaasan, please don't ask anymore..."

His voice trails off, distracted by the sadness he sees on her face. He frowns, reaching to clasp her hands in his. 

"Okaasan," he says anxiously, because he always hated seeing her sad, and in return Yumi had made sure to shield him from the anxieties and worries she had. But she can't now, not when she thinks about him, and how much she loves him, and how much he'd sacrificed for them, for their country. If she'd let him get _hurt_ , she could never live with herself.

"He won't hurt me," Yuzuru tells her, earnest and solemn, as if it's an undeniable fact. "I know he won't." 

And looking deep into her son's eyes, the beautiful eyes she's watched grow up for the past eighteen years, she knows in her heart that he's not lying. 

"I'm sorry," she says, and pulls him close, "I'm sorry this happened to you."

He pulls away, long enough to brush away the tears running down her cheeks. 

"I'm not sorry," he says, softly, his eyes bright with conviction. "I wouldn't wish it any other way."

They stand there for a long time, just holding each other. Outside the pink sakura petals float gently in the breeze around them, and for a second Yumi believes that the world is all right again.

"Yuzu?"

Yuzuru turns around at the sound of his name, and Yumi follows his gaze to Javi who's standing across the lawn, dressed in a smart red uniform. 

She shakes her head, laughing wetly, at the way Yuzuru's eyes are all for him.

He's grown up now, she thinks, her baby boy.

"Go on, then," she says and he doesn't even turn back once, already drawn toward Javi, like a flower turning to the sun.

"I'll see you later, okaasan,"  Yuzuru says and she can only watch him go, his back turned to her as he sprints laughingly into Javi's waiting arms.

Backlit against the sun, Yuzuru is laughing as he bowls them both over, sending the two of them tumbling through the greenery.

She watches them, their foreheads pressed together, Javier brushing a lock of hair out of Yuzuru's face and Yuzuru's fingers coming to rest gently on his wrist. 

Children grow up, Yumi knows, but she doesn't think she'll ever stop worrying about him.

Javi kisses his cheek, long and lingering and out of habit, Yuzu pulls him close, wrapping his arms around Javi’s neck like he never wants to let go.

"Javi," Yuzu says laughing quietly, “someone see.”

“Let them see,” Javier says, rolling them over so they're partially hidden by the shrubs.

“But—“ Yuzu glances around, conflicted, “but consummation private!”

Javi chuckles, thinking about the scandalized faces of the media, Consort Hanyu caught consummating publicly with Crown Prince of Spain, the photo, Javier kissing Yuzu chastely on the cheek.

“You’re so bad,” Yuzu says shoving him away lightly when Javi begins to laugh. “Must have shame.”

Javier cocks his head, leaning in close again. “I’m not ashamed.”

Yuzu blinks.

“I’m not ashamed of people knowing what I do to you.”

Yuzu’s cheeks redden, “Javi!”

“We’re married already,” Javi says, grinning unrepentantly, “I'm sure they all can guess."

He kisses Yuzuru's forehead, and this time, Yuzuru closes his eyes, loops his arms around Javi's neck, and lets him.


	4. Chapter 4

Being married doesn’t change things very much in the royal palace.

After a three day reprieve from their duties, Kobayashi-san shows up, knocking on Yuzuru and Javi’s shared chambers and murmuring. “Hanyu-sama, please come to the drawing room as soon as you are dressed. The ministers would like to discuss your schedule for the week.”

Yuzuru sighs when she leaves, burying his face deeper into where he’s nestled against Javi’s warmth.

“Too early for duty,” he grumbles into Javi's bare chest, making no move to get up.

Javi’s laughter rumbles against Yuzuru’s cheek, husky and sleep-graveled. It sends tingles of pleasure down Yuzuru’s spine.

“No rest for the wicked, _querido,”_ Javi quips, sitting up slowly and untangling them both from the blankets. 

“I’m not wicked,” Yuzuru says, pouting. 

“I can’t imagine anyone who would disagree,” Javi says, his fingers butterfly soft as he brushes the hair out of Yuzuru’s eyes so he can press a lingering kiss to his temple.

When Javi finally disentangles their bodies and gets up to shower, Yuzuru wants to protest but the words die in his mouth when he looks up to see the indolent sway of Javi’s hips as he saunters toward the bathroom, and the loose cotton pajamas that hang sinfully low off of him.

Yuzuru can’t help himself. He watches until Javi disappears behind the bathroom door before he flops over with a sigh, burying his head into the pillow that still holds the faint smell of Javi's aftershave.

It’s going to be a very long day.

On Thursday, Kobayashi-san wakes them both at the crack of dawn to brief Yuzuru on the itinerary for their media day. Javi looks as disgruntled as Yuzuru feels when Yuzuru slips out of his loose embrace.

“I’ll be back soon,” Yuzuru murmurs, giving Javi’s searching hand a quick squeeze before tucking it back under the blankets. 

Javi’s already fallen back asleep by the time Yuzuru’s brushed his teeth and changed into something more appropriate for a meeting. Yuzuru sits at the edge of the bed, watching the peaceful rise and fall of Javi's chest, and for the first time in his life, wishes he didn’t have to go alone.

The bus ride to Higashimatsushima takes an hour and a half. On the way, Kobayashi-san briefs him on the families they are going to visit, and the short press conference they will hold at the local high school. As the bus makes its final ascent up the rocky dirt road, Yuzuru stares out the window. The scars of the tsunami are etched deep into the prefecture; metal containers line the coast, a last resort to house the temporarily displaced until real reconstruction efforts can begin. The skeletal remains of buildings stand eerily quiet, an eyesore next to the organized town center. 

Yuzuru stares at the destruction around them, and feels a crushing ache on his chest.

The day goes by in a blur. He visits the town residents, distributing medical and food supplies and offering what little words of comfort he can.

He sits down with the people and lets them tell him about the people they’ve lost, the lives that will never come back. Yuzuru sits there and holds their hands, walking with them through the devastation so they can explain which things have been restored, and which they haven’t been able to salvage.

He finds out from the local town council how much money has trickled in and what it is being used for. The first priority had been to rebuild the dam, and equip the shelters. It's a start but it is clear there’s still much to be done.

A little girl smiles at him, clinging to his arm and asking if he’s the angel come to save them. Yuzuru’s heart breaks and he plays along because he can’t bear to watch the glow of hope fade from her eyes.

Her parents, he finds out, are haw farmers. She tugs on his hand, her little fingers interlaced in his, and their faces light up when they see him.

“Consort Hanyu,” they coo, holding out glasses of freshly made haw juice, “thank you for coming.”

They bow low, but Yuzuru bows lower. 

“Please be happy,” they tell him, “thank you for being our beacon of hope in such dark times. We owe so much to you.”

Yuzuru takes in the small, cramped room that the family of four shares, the lumpy remnants of candle wax that cover the aged wood, a telling sign that electricity still has not been restored.

“I’m the one who owes you too much,” Yuzuru thinks, thinking about the days he goes to sleep comfortably full, the meat and eggs and white rice that are never in short supply, his warm bed with Javi curled comfortingly around him.

He can't help the sick sense of guilt and shame that well up in his throat.

But they’re smiling still and wishing him well and looking at him like he’s the answer to all their problems, so Yuzuru just smiles back, because if he can be that for them, then he will be.


	5. Chapter 5

By the time Yuzuru gets back, Javi is already in bed, propped up against a stack of pillows as he studies a book. Seeing him makes the aching heaviness in Yuzuru’s chest fade and without even thinking, Yuzuru climbs into bed, tumbling unceremoniously into Javi’s lap.

“Hey,” Javi says, setting the book aside so he can run his fingers through Yuzuru’s dark hair, “long day?”

Yuzuru just nods, pressing his face into the warmth of Javi’s neck to inhale the familiar scent of him.

They stay that way, Yuzuru wrapped around Javi like a giant octopus while Javi runs his hands in long soothing strokes down Yuzuru’s back. 

“Want to tell me about it?” Javi murmurs, when Yuzuru doesn't elaborate.

“No,” Yuzuru says, unable to hide a sniffle, “yes. Today is hard day.”

“I know,” Javi says, squeezing his waist, “you don’t have to tell me about it if you don’t want to.”

“I want,” Yuzuru says, “I want tell Javi everything. But it hard to find words.“

Javi slides his hands up Yuzuru’s back, so he can cup his cheeks, gently drawing Yuzuru’s face up so they can look at each other. 

“Anything you need, _querido,”_ he says, so infinitely patient and tender it makes Yuzuru’s heart break again, for all the things he has that he doesn’t deserve. And just like that the dam breaks and all at once the events of the day come back to him, and Yuzuru can no longer hide the heaping sobs that wrack his body as he clings to Javi’s neck.

“Oh, Yuzu,” he hears Javi breathe, as he leans in sweetly kissing away the drying tear treks on Yuzuru’s face. “ _Amado_ , what’s wrong?”

“Javi,” Yuzuru sniffles, his fingers clenching in Javi’s shirt, like he’s afraid Javi will disappear if he lets go. “You make me so happy, I don’t know what to do.”

“Then just be,” Javi says, pulling him close and pressing a kiss into his forehead, “then be happy, _querido_ , you deserve it.”

“But I can’t,” Yuzuru says, and his thoughts go back to the town he left behind, with its broken buildings and broken people who nonetheless soldier courageously on. “I feel so guilty. Why I live? Why I live in palace, and why I get you? Javi is so kind… and so patient. And so gentle…. I am so happy… _You_ make me happy, but how can I be happy when so many people lose everything?”

By the end of his speech, Yuzuru is crying, deep heaving sobs that tremble through his entire body.

Javi's heart breaks seeing him like this, at how young Yuzuru is, and the heavy burden that is unfairly his to bear. 

He doesn’t have the words to take away Yuzuru’s pain, to convince the younger boy that surviving is just the beginning, that he deserves everything in the world and more, so much more. 

But he wants to. 

It’s that very thought that makes Javier cup Yuzuru’s face, smoothing away the tears that won’t end. 

Skin to skin and half a breath away, Javi leans forward for one aching moment, and kisses him.

The pale morning light illuminates Yuzuru’s fair complexion. His eyelashes tremble softly, before he blinks languidly awake, looking disheveled and adorably sleep-mussed.

“Morning,” Javi says, as Yuzuru flushes shyly and ducks his head. “How are you feeling?”

“I,” Yuzuru says and Javi never noticed how alluring his voice sounds in the morning, how tentative and shy, “Javi—“

Javi shifts so he can look at him properly, but Yuzuru moves at the same time and they collide the momentum sending Yuzuru flailing. Instinctively, Javi reaches to catch him and Yuzuru lands on top Javi with a surprised, “oof”. When Yuzuru opens his eyes, he’s pressed chest to chest against Javi, their mouths impossibly close.

“It's…” Yuzuru says, distractedly, “um..”

Yuzuru’s doing a terrible job of not-staring at Javi’s mouth.

Javi tilts his chin slightly, narrowing the distance between them. “Yeah?”

Yuzuru feels Javi’s breath on his lips, thinks about he electricity that tingled through his body when Javi’s warm mouth was pressed on his.

“Javi—“

They’re so close he can feel the heat of Javi’s body emanating against his own.

“Yeah?” 

“I think—” Yuzuru breathes.

They’re so close now, on instinct, Yuzuru’s eyes flutter shut in anticipation.

“Ferndandez-sama!”

They jump apart, Yuzuru backing off so quickly he slips on the edge of the blanket and tumbles onto the floor.

Javi takes one look at his bemused face, his hair that is sticking up in all directions and laughs, the sound warm and amused as he extends a hand to help Yuzuru back up onto the bed.

“Fernandez-sama!” 

Kobayashi-san sounds more insistent now. Javi presses a kiss to a pouting Yuzuru’s forehead before he calls, “I’m awake.”

“Fernandez-sama,” Kobayashi’s voice sounds suspiciously close to the door, “if you could get ready, there is a messenger from the Spanish embassy waiting in the lobby for you.”

“All right I’ll be there soon,” Javi says, and waits for the footsteps to fade before he turns back to Yuzuru who looks utterly mortified.

He looks at their joined hands, gently bringing Yuzuru’s hand to his mouth and pressing a soft lingering kiss to the back of it.

“Thank you for sharing last night with me.”

Yuzuru opens and closes his mouth a couple of times, helplessly, “I. Thank you to you. Also.”

Javi smiles, and then casting one last longing look at their warm bed, and Yuzuru who is sitting in a nest of blankets in the middle of it, he stands and begins to head toward the shower.

He doesn’t get far, when he feels a tug on his sleeve and looks back into the wide, honey colored eyes of Yuzuru Hanyu. 

“Ne, Javi?”

“Hmm?”

Yuzuru darts forward, pressing a clumsy kiss to Javi’s mouth and just missing. His lips graze the corner of Javi’s mouth and all the same Javi feels a tingle of electricity where their skin meets.

“Oh, Yuzu,” Javi says, and Yuzuru looks back at him, cheeks flushed with a tinge of embarrassment, but maybe also anticipation. He slides his hand into the nape of Yuzuru’s neck, tilting his head just so. Yuzuru’s eyelashes flutter shut, and beneath his fingers Javi can feel the prickling heat of Yuzuru’s skin, his racing heartbeat.

He leans forward, mouth parted and—

“Ferndandez-sama!”

They jerk apart again and Javi casts one last regretful look at Yuzuru before he heads to the door, “all right, all right I’m coming.”


	6. Chapter 6

And though it’s the crack of dawn, it turns out that the European Central Bank has scheduled an emergency meeting in Geneva which Javi is obligated to attend. 

The ECB waits for no one, and Javi’s peaceful morning quickly devolves into a mess of polite yelling, haphazard packing and a harried Kobayashi-san who looks ready to tear her hair out.

The commotion wakes Yuzuru, and he barely catches a glimpse of Javi’s back from their bedroom window as his husband is ushered out into the patio, while a smartly dressed bodyguard drags three suitcases of various sizes to a waiting limousine.

Yuzuru’s heart sinks. He doesn’t know when Javi will be back, and he can’t let Javi just leave like this, not after last night…

“Javi!” 

Javi turns around to see his royal consort, famed for his dignified behavior, bolting across the lawn barefoot.

Yuzuru looks adorably young, his oversized stripey pajamas trailing on the grass behind him, his hair sticking up in all directions. The palace dignitaries titter quietly. It’s a rare sight to see the usually dignified royal consort come undone.

“Oh _pequeno_ ,” Javi laughs, eyes shining delightedly as he takes Yuzuru into his arms, “I thought you were still asleep, I wouldn’t have left without saying goodbye otherwise.”

“How long will you be gone?” Yuzuru asks, looking forlorn. 

Javi catches his hand, to press a lingering kiss to the inside of Yuzuru’s wrist. “I’m not sure, my love, but I’ll call you every day until I get home.”

Javi’s security detail bristles, a clear indication that it’s time for them to leave.

Javi gives him one last fond look before he releases Yuzuru’s wrist.

And maybe it’s the thought of sleeping alone, or the fact that Javi’s going to be oceans away, but something panicked clenches in Yuzuru’s chest and he tiptoes, clumsily pecking Javi’s mouth before he backs away, chest heaving.

“Have a safe trip,” Yuzuru mumbles, eyes determinedly on the ground. “Try to sleep if you can."

Javi tugs his wrist, and in one smooth movement, Yuzuru’s back in his arms.

“You don’t think I’m going to let you get away with just that, do you?” 

“Javi—-mmph.”

When Javi’s taxi pulls out of the royal driveway, he leaves a gaggle of giggling Japanese diplomats and one red-faced prince consort in his wake.

As far as Javi’s promises to FaceTime go, they don’t see very much of one another the next week. Javi has long meetings in Switzerland and the Japanese Economic Consortium keeps Yuzuru occupied. It’s almost midnight by the time the advisors leave and Yuzuru’s head is spinning with the number of housing plans and economic allocations he has to review.

Yuzuru’s exhausted, but his mind is running a mile a minute, too wired to fall asleep. He checks the time in Geneva, it’s five thirty.

Javi picks up on the third ring.

“Hey,” Javi says and on reflex, the tension melts right out of Yuzuru’s spine.

“Hi.”

Javi hasn’t eaten since breakfast he tells Yuzuru, and lifts his phone to show Yuzuru the sad chicken and egg salad his assistant had managed to grab for him just before they went back into discussions. Yuzuru sighs and berates him about taking care of himself and eating. He tells Javi about his day, the developments in the region and how they’re hoping to host a celebratory parade, to lift everyone’s spirits.

“You’ll be home by then?” Yuzuru asks, trying not to sound too hopeful.

“Of course,” Javi says and Yuzuru can almost hear the smile in his voice, “otherwise who’d keep you company when you’re all alone on that big float?”

They run out of topics to small talk about and Yuzuru’s eyes are so heavy he’s almost fallen asleep a couple of times but he hangs on determinedly, drawing the conversation out.

“What’s on your mind, _querido,_ ” Javi prompts, when Yuzuru sighs, for the umpteenth time, his breath crackling noisily across the phone-line.

“I can’t sleep.”

“Did you try some warm milk?”

“No,” Yuzuru says, dramatically, “it won’t work.”

“You won’t know unless you try it,” Javi coaxes, “you need your rest.”

Yuzuru sighs again, before he says, quietly. “It not work because Javi’s not here. I don’t like sleeping alone.”

“Oh _Yuzu_.”

They stay like that until Yuzuru falls asleep clutching his phone, lulled by the familiar sounds of Javi’s breathing.

Yuzuru wakes up to screenshots of his sleeping face, captioned ‘ _good morning sleeping beauty.’_

It puts a skip in his step, and for the rest of the day he can't help smiling at his phone, can't help the _thump thump_ of his heart when he sees that Javi's left him a new message. Javi sends silly photos of Geneva, a photo of himself silhouetted against large green mountains and crystal caves of water.

 _We should come here sometime,_ he texts, and Yuzuru has never been one for traveling, but he thinks going somewhere with Javi, just the two of them, sounds _nice._

Javi has a foreign dignitary's dinner that evening and he sends a photo of himself shaving and looking helpless. It's a funny photo, Javi's eyes crossed while white shaving cream is splattered messily over his face, but the laughter dies in Yuzuru's throat when he looks down and sees the reflection of Javi's shirtless chest, the muscles of his obliques straining against his skin, drawing attention to the dark trail that disappears into the towel that wraps loosely around his hips.

Seeing Javi, even over the phone is like a visceral punch to the gut, and for the rest of the week Yuzuru alternates between not-staring at his phone, and daydreaming of Javi's generous mouth and his low, husky laugh, so full of promise.

Like clockwork, they call each other everyday. On the small phone screen, Javi's laughing holding up a tiny tiger plushie in a reenactment of The Lion King. And he looks so pleased and happy that Yuzuru misses him so much it actually hurts. 

Heu runs a finger over Javi's handsome, smiling face on the screen and counts down the days till he gets home.

When Javi flies back from Switzerland two weeks later, Yuzuru reverently leads them to their sleeping quarters, and steadily removes Javi’s coat.

“Hi,” Javi exhales, now they’re alone in their bedroom and away from curious eyes, “did you miss me?”

“Stupid question,” Yuzuru mumbles, running his hands over Javier’s chest, his fingers sliding around Javi’s shoulder blades to squeeze him closer. Javi smells like _Javi,_ like pine and cedar and oh God Yuzuru has missed him so much.

Reflexively, Javi hugs him back. This close, Yuzuru is hyperaware of the heat between them, at the proximity of their bodies, the intimacy of Javi’s touch. 

Javi’s steps back, just enough so he can tug Yuzuru’s obi loose. With barely any coaxing at all, the rest of Yuzuru’s kimono unravels, falling from Yuzuru’s shoulders to pool on the floor.

Javi smiles, mischief and a hint of something like desire in those dark eyes. He moves to pull Yuzuru close again, to enjoy the feeling of Yuzu’s warmth against his body, but the heat in his eyes gives Yuzuru other ideas.

“Javi,” Yuzuru breathes, his lips warm against Javi’s ear, “tonight too warm for nagajuban.”

Yuzuru steps away, loosening the tie around his waist, and the under kimono rustles quietly as it slides down Yuzuru’s skin, down his back, until it hits the floor with a quiet whisper.

Javi’s throat goes dry.

Yuzu watches him, a little turned on and a little uncertain but then Javi steps close, his fingers, trailing up the curve of Yuzu’s hip, down his bicep, skimming his impossibly slim waist. 

He stares, taking in every inch of Yuzuru’s beautiful body, all lean muscle and smooth moon kissed skin, now laid bare before him.

Yuzu stumbles into him, gasping quietly when their heated skin meets.

They’re pressed together now, from chest to thigh, the weight of their desire laid bare.

Yuzu wraps his arms around Javier’s neck.

“Ne Javi,” he whispers, “let’s go to bed.”


	7. Chapter 7

They end up in bed, almost the same way they did the first time, except Javi can’t decide what he wants to do first, with Yuzuru’s permission and so much skin on display. 

Instead, he lets Yuzuru dictate the pace, going easily when Yuzuru pulls him closer, and reveling in the feel of bare skin against bare skin which feels a thousand times better than it should. 

Yuzuru’s body is beautiful — steely muscle covered by satiny smooth skin. Javier lets his hands trace all the unfamiliar planes of Yuzu’s body, pressing reverent kisses to the hollow of his neck, the ridges of his ribcage, then lower.

Yuzuru lets out a choked sound when Javi’s mouth finally finds the dip of his hipbones. Javier can’t help but watch him; the way Yuzuru arches involuntarily into his touch, his thighs trembling under Javi’s ministrations. 

“Javi,” Yuzuru whispers brokenly, his fingers sliding into Javi’s dark curls to cradle his neck, “Javi, _please.”_

And Javi can’t deny him anything, not when Yuzuru looks like that, honey-sweet mouth parted, his cheeks flushed a rosy pink that spreads all the way down his chest, so Javi ventures lower, mouthing the flat plane of Yuzuru’s stomach, while his hands trace the back of his thighs, and then slightly higher, stopping to rest on the curve of his ass.

“Everyone say it hurt,” Yuzuru mumbles, shyly, “but with Javi it’s never enough.”

“Oh, _querido_ ,” Javi exhales, and thinks about how far they’ve come, from that first awful night, Yuzuru’s fingers shaking in his.

Javier shifts so they’re face-to-face again, so he can gently brush the sweaty hair out of Yuzuru’s eyes, and press a kiss to each eyelid until Yuzuru opens his eyes and smiles at him, dazedly.

The openness in his expression makes Javi’s heart clench in his chest. He lets his fingers trace Yuzu’s expression, from the tip of his nose, to the curve of his jaw, before finally settling on his mouth, those plush pink lips that had haunted Javi’s dreams in Madrid.

“Javi,” Yuzuru whispers, and Javi thinks he knows what he’s asking for, because he wants it too, wants to know how Yuzuru tastes, wants to know, if he thinks about Javier as much as Javier thinks about him.

Javi cups his jaw and Yuzuru makes a soft impatient sound beneath him before he pulls Javi closer, sliding their mouths together.

Yuzuru’s eyes flutter shut again, so Javi can’t help himself when he leans in, coaxing Yuzu’s lips apart so he can slip him the barest hint of tongue. The newness of it all startles Yuzuru but Javier doesn’t push him, just stays that way, kissing him soft and shallow until Yuzu parts his lips again, of his own accord, his tongue boldly curling against Javier’s.

And then they’re kissing, really kissing now, Yuzuru’s mouth warm and sweet against his own and its too much and not enough at the same time.

When they pull apart, Yuzuru looks utterly ravished, his hair tousled by Javi’s searching fingers, his lips pink and kiss-swollen.

“Javi,” Yuzuru says and Javi likes the way his tongue curls around the name, intimate like a promise. 

His eyes fixate on Javi’s mouth, and Javi grins, slotting their lips together, gently at first, nipping at Yuzuru’s mouth, until he opens up to him, and he can lick inside, exploring his mouth, with lazy, languorous kisses, that has Yuzu pawing at his chest, tongues tangling.

And it feels so good, holding him like this, Yuzuru’s body hot and desperate beneath his searching hands. And then, Yuzuru’s hips jerk against his, and he can tell Yuzuru is mortified, by the way he is scrambling back, trying to put some distance between them. 

“Maybe under kimono is good idea,” he mumbles, flushing, drawing his knees up in an effort at modesty. “Maybe is too much like this.”

“It’s never too much, _querido_ ,” Javi says, coaxing those impossibly slim limbs to relax and untangle. Yuzuru watches him with wide, terrified eyes, so he slows down, moving to kiss Yuzuru’s cheek, tender and lingering until Yuzuru groans, arching up to meet Javi’s mouth to they can kiss desperate and greedy. 

With Yuzuru distracted, Javi lets his fingers trail down, from those beautiful collarbones, to the smooth curve of his belly, and then lower, to where his hips dip into a V, to squeeze Yuzuru’s milky thighs. Yuzuru shivers, groans from somewhere in the back of his throat, canting his hips into Javi’s touch, less self consciously this time.

“Javi,” Yuzu moans, his head falling back, “Javi.”

And Javi can never deny Yuzuru anything, especially when he asks so nicely, so he lets his fingers trail higher, dipping his knuckles to brush Yuzuru’s balls, and then higher, to skim featherlight against Yuzuru’s dick.

Javi presses one more long lingering kiss to the tip of Yuzu’s ear and murmurs, “can I consummate you?”


End file.
